Some applications require video recordings from a plurality of cameras 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. The continuous video recording needs to be performed in real time. This may require the use of mass storage capacity and managing capabilities to gain the most efficient, uninterrupted and reliable recording process.
For example, organizations that utilize large numbers of surveillance cameras, such as casinos, airports, large banks or secured government institutions, are required to handle thousand of hours of real time video recordings. Reliability of video recording is a critical issue for surveillance systems. Video recordings of surveillance systems may be used for the investigation of various events and in some situation may be used in the court of law as evidence. Thus, the video recording should be continuous with no substantial gaps that may disable reliable interpretation of the video. Failure to record segments of the captured video may void an end-user contract or regulation requirement of the recording system.
Contemporary mass storage devices for large and medium enterprises utilize networking technologies to connect to the users. Such storage devices may be Storage Area Network (SAN), a Network Attached Storage (NAS), a cloud storage device, or the like. The real time characteristic of the system requires uninterrupted and stable performance of these storage devices over long periods of time. Networked storage devices provide many advantages such as huge memory capacities at reduced cost, outsourcing options and flexibility. However, these storage devices may suffer from disconnections or unstable performance because of networking problems or because of congestions that may occur when many users try to access the same storage device at the same time.